Seed broadcasting implement



y 1953 F. STORNETTA Er m. 2,638,351

SEED BROADCASTING IMPLEMENT Filed Feb. 26. 1,951

2 Sheets-Sheet 1 .FnHr

w/ ,2 1 3 6 4 I If 4 6 7 2 6 o 5 4 6 4 3 2 Leroy f. Slornefla James R. Stornefta Joseph M Armstrong INVENTORS Axioms s Patented May 12, 1953 Leroy F. Storxietta and James B... fSt'ornett'a, Brentwcod, and Joseph M. Armstrong, Byron,

Calif.

Application February 2c, msigsemi mm 212322 1 Claim. 1 This invention relates to an improved agrlcul tural implement, and more particularly to a machine for distributingmaterials such as pasture legume, grain, seeds, or pellet-form fertilizer, and the like. a

The invention comprises a rotary discharge type distributor which is tractor drawn.

It is an object of the invention to provide an improved. implement for broadcasting material in the form of particles which comprises multiple rotary material-discharging members. which are driven-simultaneously by power derived from the movement of the wheels of. the machine in contact with the ground.

Another object of the invention is to provide a machine which combines a rotary distributing or broadcasting element with an agitator for feeding-material from a hopper to the rotary element.

Still another feature of the invention come prises. a feeding hopper having a pentagonshaped elongated slot, the area of which may be limited to conform to a triangular-shaped slot by av plate which is longitudinally slidable thereover. 7

Another. feature of the-invention comprises the provision of a single sprocket and. chain drive mechanism for. actuating a pair of rotary ma serial-distributing elements which are arranged at opposite sides of the machine beneath the hopper and which cooperate with spaced slots in the bottom thereof.

Various other objects and advantages will be apparent as the invention is described in more detail. The invention itself and its various objects and advantages, and manner. of operation, may be better understood by referring to the following description taken in connection with the drawings in which a specific embodiment thereof has been set forth for purposes of illustration: In the drawings:

Figure l is an e1evationa1 view of a machine embodying the novel features of this invention;

Figure 2 is a plan view of the implement illustrated in Figure 1;

Figure 3 15a rear elevational view of the same; Figure 4 .is a vertical sectional View taken sub-- stantially n the line 4-4 of Figure 2 and looking in the direction of the arrows;

Figure 5 is a iragmentary detail sectional view taken substantially on the line 5-5 of Figure 4 and looking in the direction of the arrows;

Figure 6 is a detail plan view taken substantially on the line 6-5 of. Figure 1 and looking in the direction of the arrows;

' on the line 8-8 of Figure 4 and looking in. the

directionof the arrows.

Referring, to the drawing more. in detail and whereinlike reference characters refer to like parts throughout the several figures, the reference character It designates. generally a chassis,

frame supported on a pair of wheels [2, in turn, mounteclon the opposite ends of an axle shaft id. The forward end of. the. frame, as at it, is provided with a tongue [8. having .an'aperture 2t therein whereby the implement may be suitably hitched to a tractor or the like means for drax'vingv the same vtherealong.

Mounted on the chassis frame ll! is an elongated bed 22 which extends over. the wheel and axle as shown in Fi ures 1 andv 2. A hopper 124, for receiving and delivering material to be scattered or broadcast, is supported above the bed or platform 2'2 by a rectangular shaped frame 3t which is secured to a pair of. upstandingimemberg 32 which. are Suitably fixed on the bed 22. The hopper 2'11 comprisesan elongated box which extends transversely of and substantially the full width of the bed 22' and is arranged at the rear of said bed above and between the wheels [2. Thehoppe-r comprisesa verticalrear wall 36 and contiguousside walls 38, with a sloping front wall ML At the bottom of the hopper 24 a closure wall '44 is provided which comprises a pair of laterally spaced feeding slots 66 and 48. Each of these slotsis pentagon-shaped having two par allel edges, as at a and a pointed or v-shape'd end portion b as illustrated in Figure 5.

The areas of the feeding slots 46 and 58. are controlled assesired by providing each slot with a longitudinally slidable plate '56 which is suitably posit ned with respect to the slot opening, being slidable towardand awa from the pointed end b in the guide members 52 arrangedat opposite sides of the plate 553. Adjustment of the plate 5B is effected by a rod or. lever 5t which is attached to the end of the plate 5'6, being slid ably retained by an upstanding support 58 arranged on an extension of the plate it. 'The lever 53', afterv adjustment of. the plate 56' to the desired positionis secured against further opening movement by, an adjustable stop nut ti! on the lever.

Beneath. the feeding slots 46 and 38' of the hopper, and arranged to receivematerial falling therethr'ough, are rotary propeller members 64 and Strespectively, The rotary ropeller 64' is mounted on the vertically disposed shaft 68, the same being suitably keyed thereto by a key I0.

The rotary member 60 is similarly keyed to a vertically disposed shaft 72, both rotary members 64 and 06 being supported for rotation above the plate I6. Each of the rotary members comprises blades having a laterally extending Web portion 80 and a contiguous flange 82 disposed at right angles to the web 80. The blades during rotation of the propellers gather and propel the particles of material as they fall from the hopper through the feeding slots in the bottom closure wall 44. A partitioning wall 84 which is arranged between the plates 44 and I6 comprises an integral reversed curved section 86 for suitably guiding the particles of material being pro:- pelled by the rotary members into the path of the propeller blades. Accordingly, seed or the like particles delivered from the hopper 24 through the feeding slots 46 and 48 in the bottom fall onto the rotating propeller members 64 and 66 and are whirled outwardly laterally and rearwardly from the implement as the same is drawn along.

For rotating the propeller members 04 and 06, a sprocket and chain drive mechanism is provided, as indicated generally at 90 in Figure 4, the same being mounted on top of the plate 92, which in turn, is supported above the bed 22 by the frame members 96. drive shaft I is operatively connected through a conventional ring gear and pinion mechanism to the axle shaft I4 in the housing I02, the wheels I2? being suitable keyed to the axle I4 whereby rotation of the wheels drives the vertical shaft I00. This latter shaft is arranged to drive the shaft I through a clutch mechanism, generally indicated at IOI. A sprocket wheel I04 is fixed to the upper end of the shaft I20 and is driven thereby. This sprocket is operatively connected to the sprocket pinions I06 and I08 on the shafts 08 and I2, respectively, by a chain I I0. A reversing idler sprocket H2 is disposed between the sprocket p inions I00 and I08 whereby the chain is adapted to rotate the propellers 64 and 66 clockwise and counter-clockwise, respectively, when the sprocket I04 is driven in a clockwise direction, as illustrated by the arrows in Figure 7.

Each of the driven shafts t8 and I2 extends upwardly through the bottom closure plate 44 and into the hopper 24, and is provided with a blade means IIB which rotates with the respective propeller drive shaft to effectively stir or agitate the material in the hopper 24 so that the material will flow evenly through the feeding slots 46 and 48.

The clutch mechanism IOI for connecting and disconnecting the drive shaft I00 from the sprocket shaft I20 is of conventional construction. As illustrated in Figure 8, the clutch mechanism comprises a sleeve I22 which is adapted to slide axially on the shaft I20 While keyed thereto as at I2 I. On the lower end of the sleeve I22 gear teeth I24 are provided which are adapted to engage complementary teeth I20 on the opposed end of the sleeve I27 suitably fixed to the drive shaft I00. To disconnect the shafts I00 and I20 through the clutch IOI, a shifting fork or lever I28 is provided which is arranged to work in the collar I30 and pivot about a fulcrum I32. Pressing down on the handle I36 of the lever I28 forces the sleeve to slide upwardly on the shaft I20 so as to disengage the teeth I24 and I26. A coil spring I is suitably fastened to the outer portion of the lever I28,

A vertically disposed as at I36, and at its opposite end to the underside of the plate 92, as at I38, and normally 0perates to maintain the clutch parts engaged so as to operate the propeller members when the implement is drawn along.

As illustrated in Figure 4, the vertically spaced plates 44, 16 and 92 are suitably secured together by the members I40 and I42, there being no interfering supports or structure in the propeller compartments as defined by the partitioning wall 84 and spaced plates 44 and I0. The material to be broadcast or uniformly distributed from the hopper 24, is conveniently placed in sacks or other suitable receptacle means and arranged on the bed platform 22 forward of the hopper 24, the bed being preferably provided with guard rails I50. The hopper can thus be filled as needed from the storage receptacle by an operator who may be stationed on the platform of the implement.

During operation of the implement, when the plates 50 are suitably positioned to provide the desired feed slot openings in the bottom of the hopper 24, and the material to be broadcast is introduced in the hopper, and the propellers 64 and 06 operated, material flows from the hopper onto the rotating propeller blades and is thrown outwardly and evenly from both sides of the implement as the same is moved along over the: ground. When it is desired to stop the rotation of the propellers 64 and 06 it is only necessary to press downwardly on the handle I38 of lever I28 so as to declutch the driven shaft I20 from the drive shaft I00. In this manner the implement may be drawn along without operation of the propellers.

From the above description and illustration it will be appreciated that the invention provides an implement whereby pellets of material can be delivered from a hopper in controlled amounts through a plate controlled valve or slot in the bottom of the hopper onto rotating blade members, to thereby scatter the material uniformly outwardly from the rear and side of the implement. In this manner an evenly distributed scattering of the material is provided and a simplified mechanism for driving a plurality of rotary blade members positioned at opposite sides of the implement.

While in the foregoing description there has been shown and described the preferred embodiment of the invention, it will be understood, of course, that minor changes in the details of construction, and substitution may be made in the combination and arrangement of the parts without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as claimed hereinafter.

Having described the invention, what is claimed as new is:

A material distributing machine comprising a bed, supporting wheels mounted beneath said bed, a frame structure on the bed, a hopper on said frame structure spaced above the bed, vertically spaced upper, lower and intermediate horizontal plates mounted in elevated position on the bed beneath the hopper, said upper plate constituting the bottom of said hopper and having a pair of discharge openings therein communicating therewith, a pair of vertical shafts journalled on the plates and projecting into the hopper, agitators on the upper end portions of said shafts operable in the hopper, centrifugal scatterers fixed on the shafts between the upper and intermediate plates, transversely disposed baffle plate for the material vertically mounted between said upper and intermediate plates forwardly of said scatterers and including a substantially V-shaped intermediate portion projecting between said scatterers, slide valves on said upper plate controlling the discharge openings, a drive shaft journalled in th lower plate, chain and sprocket means between the lower and intermediate plates operatively connecting said drive shaft to the first named shafts, and clutch controlled means operatively connecting the supl0 porting wheels to the drive shaft.

LEROY F. STORNETTA. JAMES R. STORNE'I'TA. JOSEPH M. ARMSTRONG.

6 References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date Buswell May 24, 1881 Parrish Jan. 4, 1916 Holden Nov. 19, 1918 Cotner Oct. 29, 1929 Bamford et al. Oct. 27, 1931 Thiesse Oct. 12, 1948 Rimple Jan. 9, 1951 Herd July 31, 1951. 

